Alexis Le Blanc enjoys her simple life in Crystal Cove, Maine. After taking a chance on romance and getting rejected, she has given up on love. Now she devotes all her time to running her family’s winery, Coastal Vines. She wants to keep it small and traditional, but her parents have other ideas—hence why they hire some big-shot marketing executive from Napa Valley to rev up business.When Benito … business.
When Benito Martelli shows up in her family’s tasting room, she’s more than stunned to discover he’s the man who wined and dined her the night before. Alexis is beyond peeved at his deception in trying to get into her good graces for the sake of making money on her winery. At first, she wants nothing to do with him or his big business ideas, but she’s pleasantly surprised when they come to a compromise, and even more surprised when she gives in to the sparks between them.
Unfortunately, things don’t go quite as planned and Alexis is faced with complications she never could have predicted. Promises and secrets unravel, and she must decide if love and wine are as well paired as she hoped.
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It took some getting used to having one narrator read both POV since I’ve only ever listened to two (or more) narrators read different characters but once I got over that, the narrator did an ok job capturing “the voice” of each character.
I had a bit of a hard time connecting with Alexis.
This is the first book I’ve read by Marianne Rice. At First Blush is a stand alone novel, but additional characters are introduced for later books. I’m planning to read more of the series because I think I would identify more with some of the other characters. I had a really tough time identifying with Alexis, and actually didn’t like her much. She jumped to a lot of conclusions and didn’t seem to learn from her experiences. Benito was more likable, but still very flawed. He sent a lot of mixed signals which confused even me at times. I would recommend this book to readers who like imperfect characters, especially those who can identify with someone who is self-conscious and quick to anger.
I listened to the Audible version. This was the first book I’ve listened to narrated by Stephanie Montalvo. She did a good job, though it was more reading out loud as opposed to a performance.
#AudiobookObsession
This was just what I needed; a breezy, low-angst swoony romance. Marianne Rice created extremely likable and relatable characters; I feel I know Ben and Alexis personally. As male MCs go, Ben rocks it. I may want to date him now, lol. I loved how their relationship developed over time and how Alexis was so determined and assertive despite her insecurities. Bravo Ms. Rice.
Alexis parents want her to take over their small vineyard in Maine. Her parents called in a favor from a friend to have their son, Ben, a corporate consultant, help with ideas to increase revenue. He spent several weeks there, enjoying, the slow pace, embracing the people of this quaint small towN. Alexis doesn’t like his ideas at first. The longer they are together, the attraction increases . Alexis takes a chance to open her heart to him. Ben is hiding a major secret from her. She decides to surprise him at his winery in California. She immediately leaves when she finds out his secret.
Stephanie Montalvo narration is very good. I enjoyed listening to this story.
.audiobookobsessionreviewer
I think my favorite!!!
As a lover of wine this type of read is near and dear to my heart by association. Add to that a hunk who is warm and generous and the perfect book boyfriend, yeah with faults. His secrets and lies by omission are a definite Debbi-downer which doesn’t bode well with a woman who on the outsides exudes confidence and strength but on the inside is dealing with issues which include not being good enough. It’s gonna be tough to break through all of the walls she has built up especially since the first thing he does is do something to reinforce the need for them. It was painful watching both of them work through their issues but it does happen. This author does it tastefully and with a style she does well. There’s a lot more to this read but of course “spoilers” will not happen here. Suffice it to say it’s wonderful seeing a side to the wine industry I have not had the pleasure of seeing for myself and that’s east coast vineyards. This author has found a way to make you feel like you were there with her descriptions. It’s a great read and I can’t wait to indulge in more.
This is a great book! Marianne Rice has an amazing ability to pull you into the story and pull at your heartstrings.
In this book both Alexis and Ben have troubling things from their past holding them back. With some hardworking, vulnerability and wine they are able to breakthrough each others barriers to find what they have always been looking for.
I loved every aspect of this book! In addition to a beautiful love story that seemed to advance at a realistic pace, there was great information on wine and grapes too. Alexis LeBlanc’s family winery is struggling and her parents call in a handsome Italian to update it. Will Benito Martelli be able to help save her family winery and/or win her heart? This beautiful story of two realistic people with real life problems is sweet, frustrating, emotional and funny at times but is ultimately satisfying in the end. In addition to Al and Ben, we meet many of the other business owners in Crystal Cove and I can’t wait for this series to continue so I can, hopefully, learn more about them as well!
*I was given an ARC to read and review because I’m a fan of this author!